Container



NOV. 15, 1938. NADELSQN Re. 20,920

CONTAINER Original Filed Aug. 8, 1933 2 SheetsSheet l W1 TN ES 3 11V VENTOR Pfl/L/P Mwusa/v wwwmm W A TTORNE VS P. NADELSON Nov. 15, 1938.

CONTAINER Original Filed Aug. s, 1955 .2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIIIIlIIII/II/I/II/l i Willi/[IM/IIII/II/YI/IIIIIIIIIII/ IIIIIII/IIIIIIIIIIKVII [N VENTO/f PM IP M4951. 504 B Y WITNESS ATTORNEYS Reissued Nov. 15, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Serial No. 684,132, August 8, 1933..

Renewed December 7, 1936. Application for reissue March 19, 1938, Serial No. 197,020

19 Claims.

My invention relates to a container. iorpackaging commodities, for instance, coflee, tobacco, and like materials, which would be adversely ailected by contact with air. My invention, more particularly, contemplates the provision of a flexible container into which the material, may

be packed in anatmosphere which is inert with respect to the material to be packed in such a container. a

An object of the invention therefore is to pro- .1 provide a container which is hermetically sealedso as to be gas-tight and moisture-proof, and retains such characteristics so as to preserve the packedmaterial in the same condition as that in which it was packaged until the contents of such container are ready for removal 4or consuinption.

A iurther object-oi the invention is to provide a flexible container in which may be packed any suitable materials in pre-weighed or otherwise accurately measured amounts or units, so that units of the packed material may be removed irqm thecontainer in such accurately measured amounts for individual use. Thus, my novel containerpermits the packaging of various materials inindividual compartments constituting the container, so' as to permit a choice of varied materials or ingredients in preparing a mixture or blending of di-flerently colored or flavored materials.

' A further object of my invention is to provide apackage in which specific amounts of a particular material have been compressed and compacted as the materialwas packaged.

A still further object of my invention is to being oi somewhat larger cross-sectional area than the tubing. The peripheries of the strips forming the end closures of the containerv are in such close contact with the tubing forming being closedwith strips ot a rigid material, such as metal, wood, glass, oncompofltion, the strips.

the container wall that a substantially air-tight sealing of the package or container is obtained.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, are illustrated three specific forms of my invention. In such drawings, Fig. i

is a vertical section through the center of a flexible container constructed in accordancewith my invention; Fig. 2 is a front view oi! such container, both such flgures showing the container with the material packed therein;- Fig. 3 is a front view of a flexible container constructed in accordance with my invention having a single compartment for. receiving the material to be packed; Fig. 4 shows the-container oi Fig.3 in a partially collapsed condition after some of the material packed therein has been removed; Fig. 5 shows a form of flexible container adapted to be collapsed after removal of the contents thereof, and refllled; Figs. 6, 'i and 8 show various forms of dividing strip members which may be used as component parts of my novel container. Referring more particularly to the drawings-in whichsimilar reference characters identify similar parts in the several views, III is a tubing of a flexible material having a degree of resiliency, for instance, a cellulosic material, such as Cellophane" or similar material, and II, I l are discs of any moldable material, for instance, meta1, glass, composition, or condensation product, the peripheral edges of whichmay be rounded either in the course of manufacture of such discs or thereafter into a form of bead l2, II. Thediscs I l are of somewhat larger external diameter than the internal diameter of the tubing III.

In accordance with the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1- and 2, the container is divided into a plurality of compartments by means 01' the discs ll, thereby' segregating the packed material into units which may be weighed previous to packaging or otherwise divided into accurately measured units. In the course-ofpackaging the commodity into my novel flexible container, the discs II, II are forced into position within the tubing III, such tubing being stretched over the peripheral edgesof the discs H, i. e., over the surfaces of theb'eads l2, and a band I! is'thereatter placed over the end or other discs. I The band ll isclamped in position by means of tongue, II, which, after being passed through aperture II in the portion of the band overlapping the' portion from which the tongue 14 projects, is bent'over upon such overlapping por tion; as will be obvious from aninspection of Fig. 2.

I have illustrated the lowermost disc, desigwithin the groove 19 and more. firmly secure the tubing to the disc 20. -Any obvious expedient of connecting the ends of the wire element 2|, for instance, by twisting the ends of the wire element .as at 22, may be employed.

4 The embodiment of my invention just described provides a flexible container having individual compartments or units of any desired number, the contents of which may be discharged from such units without disturbing the contents of the remaining compartments, so that the remaining I portions of the packaged material are preserved in the same condition in which they were packed, i. e., hermetically sealed and therefore not sub: ject to deterloration for instance, by oxidation.

' The odor, flavor and consistency of the material in the various compartments are therefore retained until suchtime as theinaterial is to be removed from the container for consumption or use. Such multiple unit container also makes possible the packaging of material in predetermined accurately measured quantities or may .be used an an assembly of a variety of materials ,or commoditiesior mixing pre-weighed proportions of particular ingredients to be used in preparing a' product, for instance, ice cream or fruit gelatine. A combination of various commodities or a blending of materials, for instance, a plurality of different flavors in one package, or a plurality of differentcolored ingredients for making up a paint mixture, may thus'be obtained.

It is to be noted that the tubing material III, by reason of the fact that the diameter of the discs II is greater than the diameter of such'tubing, is pressed against the surface of the beads l2 with such force as to yield a hermetic sealing of the individual compartments of the container. J

The tubing Ill may obviously be made either seamed or seamless and may be made of any stretchable material or materials (where a multiple wall is desirable), including rubber. My flexible container will be found to be free from the danger of breakage and tearing, no special care 'having to be taken to obtain such a close com- ,pression of the tubing upon'the beads I2 as to trated, either rounded so as to form the bead I2 or to present the grooved peripheral edge to reobtain a moisture-proof and gas-tight seal, as the difference-in diameter of the discs and tubing will automatically bring about the necessary close contact between the disc and wall.

As the packaging of the material into my flex ible container is preferably carried out in an atmosphere of an inert gas, for instance, 'carbon dioxide, no air or similar oxidizing medium is permitted to enter the container with the packaged material, if it is desired to exclude air or such oxidizing medium from within the container. 7

The discs I I may be made vof any material, in cluding metal, wood, glass, etc, so long as such discs may be provided with the typical edge illusceive the banding element. Thebinding strip l2, "may be transversely corrugated at intervals so as to permit the escape of any gases that may be gencontainers.

erated within the container, in which case the tubing will be found to yield sufliciently from the disc wall, but will prevent ingress of air, by reason of the fact that there'is sufficient suction present to pull the flexible tubing back upon the surface of the beaded edge ofthe discs after escape of suchgenerated gases, whereas, in ordinary containers, lowered temperature would suck air in.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, I have shown a flexible container comprising a single compartment in which the sides of the container are formed by tubing ll oi the same material and composition as that of the tubing of the embodiment of the multiple type container shown irr Figs. 1 and 2. The disc l8 forming the lower closure of the container oi'thls embodiment may be similar to that .forming the lowermost disc of the multiple compartment con- The primary advantage of the container shown of the packaged material are removed from the container, the latter is collapsed so as to bring it to a size just sufiicient to re'tain the remaining contents and thereby prevent the deterioration of theremainingjmaterial, for instance, by oxidation. I am thusgenabled obtain an automatic sealingof the container and a reduction of thevolume thereof to precisely thatnecessary for retaining its contents with a minimum of contamination with air. Of course, the collapsing of the container should be carried out with the cap 2! loose thereon until the sizeof the container is just 'sufliclent to retain the remaining materiaL'thecap 25 being tightened when the, container has beems'ufllciently collapsed.

In Fig; 5 of the drawings, I have illustrated a flexible container constructed in accordance with my invention which is adapted for re-use, i. e.; re-filling by the wholesaler or shipper after the contents thereof have been removed and repacked by a jobber or retailer into containers of smaller capacity, for instance, such as shown in the two previous embodiments of my invention.

The container of Fig. 5 is intended to take the place of large bags or sacks, barrels, casks, etc., such, for instance, as are used for the shipment of spices to jobbers and retailers, the .latter selling the contents of such container either directly therefrom or re-packlng the material into smaller The flexible container of this-embodiment of my invention, as shown, comprises a tubing wall 21 of a viscose or cellulosic material,

surrounded by a tubing of a fabric material 28, and having an outer tubing of a moisture-proof material, for instance, rubber. The structure of the disc forming the bottom end of the container maybe similar to that of the disc l6 of the previously described embodiments, whilethe disc 30, comprising the upper end of the container, may be of the same configuration as thedisc 23, having the mouth 24 and screw cap 25. The disc- 30, however, is provided with a valve structure comprising a depending nozzle3l having athreaded struction comprising depending nozzle 33 having in Figs. 3 and '4 lies in the fact that as quantities threaded cap 3.4, at the other side of the container. These valves are employed in the-operation of filling the container in the following manner: The caps 32 and 34 are removed and'a pipe is inserted into one of 'the depending nozzles Si or pumping of an inert gas, su h as carbon dioxide,

into the bottom of the c tainer, the air from the container being exhausted by being displaced upwardly by the flow of the inert gas into the container. As soon as all the air has been exhausted, carbon dioxide will begin to flow through I the lead tube within the shorter pipe into the vessel containing the lime water. When the lime water becomes cloudy, complete displacement of the air from the container has taken place and material mayethen be packed into the container through the central opening 24. I have not illustrated the pipe structure just described as it forms no part of my present invention. when the packing of the materialhas been completed. the caps 32 and 34 are screwed in position and the cap 25 screwed in position over the opening 24. The container with the material packed therein is shipped to the jobber or' retailer who may then dispense the material from the container or repack the same into smaller individual containers, such as illustrated in Figs. 1-4: When all of the packaged material has thus been dispensed, the container may be collapsed and returned in such collapsed condition to the original shipper for re-use by him in the shipment of a new supply of the commodity.

While I have illustrated this embodiment of my flexible container as having a wall comprised of Cellophane, fabric and rubber, any combination of such materials or a single material may be used' for the wall. The sealing of the wall material upon the discs forming the two ends of the container may be accomplished in any manner illustrated in the various embodiments of my invention. 'Thus, instead of using the wire element II as a binding strip, a band, such as II, of the embodiment of my invention of Figs. 1 and 2, may be employed. In Figs. 6, 7 and 8, I have illustrated various .forms' of disc members having peripheries of diiferent configuration- For instance, in Fig. 6, the disc may be formed with a periphery having a plurality of beads 35 forming grooves 36 into which mayflt a plurality of binding wires such as II. In Fig. 7, I have illustrated a disc having a single curved peripheral surface 31 which may be' used in place of discs ll intermediate the two end discs of my novel container. In Fig. 8, I have illustrated an intermediate disc having two beads 38 forming a groove 39 for receiving the binding strip. The binding wire or strips are not essential at all places, a greater difference in the respective diameters of discs and wall resulting in an increased seal at their contact lines.

While I have illustrated the various embodiments of my invention as comprising containers of substantially circular cross-section, it is obvious that my invention is applicable to containersof any cross-section, for instance, oval, semioval, or rectangular. Also, while I have described specific embodiments of my invention, it is obvious'that various modifications therein, particularly in the construction and configuration of specific elements, may be made without departing from my invention.

I claim:

1. A v container comprising a tubing of resilient material and'a plurality of strips of rigid material positioned within said tubing transversely thereof and dividing said' tubing into. a plurality of compartments, the cross-sectional area of said strips being greater than the normal cross-sectional area of said tube at thepoint of contact of said strips with said tubing, whereby the strips .areself-seated-by, the stretching of the tube material at the points of contact of the strips with said tube material.

2. A container comprising a tubing of resilient material and a plurality of substantially rigid.

discs positioned within said tubing transversely thereof and dividing said tubing into a plurality of compartments, the diameter of each of said discs being greater than the normal diameter of said tubing at the point of contact of said discs with said tubing, whereby the strips are self-seated by the stretching of the tube material at the. points of contact of the strips with said tube material. I v

3. A package comprising a container builtup of, a tubing of resilient material and a plurality of rigid dividing strips positioned within said tubing transversely thereof the cross-sectional area of each of said strips being greater than the norinal cross-sectional area of said tubing at the point of contact of said strips with said tubing whereby the strips are self-seated by-the stretching of the tube material at the points of,

contact of the strips with said tube material, and

the packaged material, the latter being capable being-greater than the normal diameter of said, tubing at the point of contact of said discs with said tubing whereby the strips are self-seated by the stretching ofthe tube material at the points of contact of the strips with said tube material, and the packaged material, the latter being capable of removal .from the container in individual units into which the packaged material has been divided bysaid rigid discs. I

5. A container comprisinga tubing of resilient material and a plurality of strips of rigid material positioned within said tubingtransversely thereof and dividing said tubing into a plurality of compartments, the cross-sectional areas of said strips being greater than the normal crosssectional area-of'said tube atthe point of conhaving a rounded periphery for eflecting a gastight sealing of said tubing about the eripheral edges of said strips.

6. A container comprising a tubing of resilient material and a plurality of substantially rigid discs positioned within said tubing transversely thereof and dividing said tubing into a plurality of compartments, the diameter of each of said discs being greater than the normal diameter of said tubing at the point of contact of said discs with said tubing, said discs having a rounded periphery for efl'ecting' a gas-tight sealing 9f said tubing about the peripheral edge's LsafiI-discs.

'l. A container comprising a tubing of resilient tact 01 said strips with said tube, said, strips t terial positioned within said tubing transversely material and a plurality of strips of rigid'mathereof and dividing said tubing into a plurality of compartments, the cross-sectional areas of said strips being greater than the normal crosscontainer and having a rounded periphery, a

second rigid strip constituting the other end of the container, the tubing overlying said end strips, and a band surrounding the peripheral edges of said end strips clamping said tubing upon said peripheral edges, said container being collapsible longitudinally.

9. A container comprising a tubing of resilient material, .aplurality of discs of rigid material within said tubing and extending transversely thereof, a rigid disc constituting one end of the container and having a rounded periphery, a second rigid disc constituting the other end of the container, the tubing overlying said end discs, and a band surrounding the peripheral edges of said end discs clamping said tubing upon said peripheral edges, said container being collapsible longitudinally.

10. A container as claimed in claim 9 in which the peripheral edgesof the rigid strips are formed with a plurality of beads having a groove therebetween adapted to receive-the band.

11. A collapsible container comprising a. tubing of resilient and flexible material, a strip of rigid material constituting one'end closure of said tubing, and a second strip of rigid material constituting the other end closure of said tubing, one of said strips being provided with an opening and cooperating closure element, said strips having a. larger cross-sectional area than that of said tubing at the point of contact of, said strips with said tubing, said container being'collapsible lon-. gitudinally..

12. A package comprising a longitudinally collapsible container built up of a tubing of resilient and flexible material and a pair of rigid strips of greater cross-sectional area than that of said tubing at the point of contact of said strips with said tubing and constituting the two end closure members of said container, and the packaged material.

one of said rigid'strlp's' being provided with an opening and cooperating closure element.

13. A container as claimed in claim 11 includsecond strip of rigid material constituting the other end closure of said tube, one of said strips being provided with an opening and cooperating closure element, said strips having a larger crosssectional area than that of said tube at the point of contact ofsaid strips with said tube, said 15. A container comprising a flexible tubing,

a strip of rigid material of larger cross-sectional area than that of the tubing at the point of contact of said strip with said'tubing and constitut ing one end closure of said tubing, and a second strip of rigid material of like area. having a plurality of openings therein and constituting the other end closure of said tubing, said container being collapsible longitudinally.

16. A container comprising a tubing of flexible, stretchable, and resilient material closed at one end and a strip of rigid material positioned within said tubing transversely thereof, the cross-sectional area of said strip being greater than the normal cross-sectional area of said tube at any desired point of contact of said strip with said tubing, whereby the strip is self-seated, without deformation thereof, by the stretching of the tube material at the point of contact of the strip with the strip is self-seated, without deformation thereof, by the stretching of the tube material at the point of contact or the strip with said tube material.

18. A container comprising a tubing of flexible, stretchableand resilient material closed at one end and a strip of rigid material positioned within said tubing transversely thereof, the crosssectional area of said strip being greater than 'the normal cross-sectional area of said tube at any desired point of contact of said strip with said tube, said strip having a rounded periphery for effecting a gas-tight sealing ofcsaid tubing about the peripheral edges of said strip.

19. A container comprising a tubing of flexible, stretchable, and resilient material closed at one end and a strip of rigid material positioned within said tubing transversely thereof, the cross-sectional area of said strip being greater than the normal cross-sectional area of said tube at any desired point of contact of said strip with said tube, the peripheral edges of said strip being formed into a bead.

PHILIP NADELSON. 

